


Take My Hand

by Stratagem



Series: What Could Be [6]
Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Mutant Underground, Thunderblink kids, sentinel services
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-01-29 06:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12625587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: When the mutant underground headquarters is attacked by the Sentinel Services, John and Clarice have to make a run for it with their kids. They're always one step ahead of Sentinel Services, but can that last?--------------------------------------------------------------Set in a future AU where John and Clarice are married with two kids.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own The Gifted!
> 
> Ahh, so, HQ will probably get discovered in the series at some point, but up until now in this AU, they've managed to keep the bank HQ hidden. But I love creating drama so yeah, HQ is getting raided. The Thunderblink kids JD and Hope are 8 and 4 in this one, and the Eclaris kiddo, Aurora, is 9. And it's multichaptered, so woo-hoo! Thanks, Amirah, for letting me headcanon about this family so often!

It was a siren sound that woke up Clarice, tearing through her dreams and making her sit straight up in bed, her skin crawling in protest. The noise filled the room, the volume increasing each second. It had to be Amp since no one else in the HQ could take a sound and manipulate it like that, giving it a slightly unnatural edge.

Clarice winced and automatically reached over, ready to clap her hands over John's ears, knowing that the noise would be too much for him. He might be physically invincible but having enhanced senses was actually a weakness in moments like this. But the other side of the bed was empty, reminding her that John was out on a supply run.

Her mind stumbled into action, and she slid out of bed. If Amp was using the siren, that meant HQ was under attack or would be very soon. She had to get the kids out of there, meet up with John, run. They needed to get as far away from HQ as possible.

They had known that it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. It had been too many years, even with all of the precautions and measures they took to keep the location a secret. Too many people knew about the HQ, and besides, Sentinel Services was getting smarter and pulling in more mutants for its program. Some decided to work for Sentinel Services willingly, whether for money or protection, while others were arrested and stuck in the Hound Program. It went without saying that Sentinel Services would eventually find the right combination of mutants to uncover the location of the Atlanta underground headquarters.

But Clarice had always thought there would be some sort of warning. That they would know through the scanners or one of Hope's premonition dreams or John's ability, that something would give them a heads up before their lives were turned upside down.

And she had always imagined John being there.

Clarice ripped open a portal to her daughter's room and leaped inside, looking around for her little four-year-old. Hope cowered in the corner of her room, holding her hands to her pointed ears. When she saw her mom, she jumped to her feet and raced over, her long dark purple and blue hair looking wild, just like her brown eyes. "Too loud!" she yelled, though the siren almost drowned her out.

Clarice picked her up and looked around, searching for a jacket, a coat, a – She snatched a hoodie off the floor and grabbed Hope's boots, hastily dressing the girl before clawing another portal into the air, one-handed, as she held Hope on her hip. This time she stepped into her son's bedroom.

JD was up and dragging on a coat, his sneakers already on. He looked up at her with huge green eyes, the same bright color as her own. He knew what was going on, that their lives were about to change.

Clarice was reaching for him when the siren sound abruptly stopped and gunfire cracked through the silence. That's when the screaming began. Hope gasped and buried her face in Clarice's neck while JD rushed to her side, grabbing onto her loose pajama t-shirt. Light green energy, as pale as JD's eyes, glowed around his fingers and wrists, his powers activating.

"Where's Dad?"

"He'll meet us soon," she said, hoping that was true. There was always the chance that Sentinel Services had… No, no, she couldn't think about that. John would meet them. He would be there or she would find him. There wasn't another option.

Clarice tore another portal into the air, this one opening into the cold winter forest near the HQ. There wasn't any snow, but it was still barely above freezing and none of them were really dressed for the weather. Still, it was far better than staying where they were. A muffled explosion boomed toward the entrance to HQ and Clarice hurried through the portal, JD following her. It shut behind them, taking the panic of headquarters with it.

Taking a deep breath of the sharp air, Clarice set Hope down and looked back in the direction of HQ. It was too bright, too lit up, and she knew that Sentinel Services had brought in floodlights. Overhead, a helicopter roared over the old bank, and Clarice shoved her kids down into a hollow. There was a hole in a nearby tree and she rushed up to it, yanking out the pieced-together sheet of old leaf-like ghillie suits. It had been John's idea, a leftover from his Marines days.

Hurrying back to the kids, Clarice bent down at the edge of the hollow. There was another explosion in the direction of the HQ and then arcs of energy burned through the air, massive and terrifying. The underground was fighting back, but really they all needed to run. And while Clarice wanted to take the kids and go, she knew she had to go back and try to get a few more people out and find John on the off chance he had already gotten back to HQ. The kids would be safe for a few precious minutes that might let her find him.

"I have to go—"

"No," JD said, staring up at her, "Mom, no, please, you can't—"

"Hey, I'll be right back," Clarice said. She reached down and brushed her hand over JD's messy black hair before bending over and hastily kissing Hope's forehead. "Look out for your sister, JD. Do _not_ move from this spot unless you absolutely have to. Got it? I'll only be gone for a few minutes."

JD nodded and pulled Hope to him. The four-year-old was crying, tears rolling down her cheeks, and Clarice had to resist hugging her. She tossed the ghillie blanket over the kids and ran back toward the HQ, tearing open a portal when she was away from her children. She stepped into the computer room of HQ to find Sage and Shatter breaking everything in sight.

"Have you heard from John?" she demanded even as she grabbed one of the computers and smashed it. They had to destroy everything that could give the Sentinel Services the info they had gathered or any ideas about other HQ locations or safe houses.

"I texted him and Harry," Sage said, "So they know."

"And how close is Sentinel Services to getting in?"

"About three minutes and twenty four seconds," Sage answered quickly, "There's too many for us, we have a 94.5 percent likelihood for failure and losing everyone who's still in the building once they get in. You should get the kids and go, Clarice."

"Already did that," she said, trying ignore the goosebumps raising on her skin. Those were awful odds. "I'm going for Marcos and Lorna."

"Lorna's not going to want to leave," Shatter said, glancing over at Clarice.

Clarice made a face. "No shit." She already knew that Lorna was going to be all fury and rage and vengeance. Hopefully Marcos would be able to convince her to leave or at least drag her through a portal. "Sage, you guys need to go too." Out of all of them, Sage had the most information stored in her head.

"Yeah, I'm working on it. I'll go in a minute."

"I'll make sure she gets out," Shatter said.

Clarice nodded and headed downstairs, not using a portal. It didn't take her long to find Marcos and Lorna. They were ushering people out of the building through one of the actual tunnels that led out of the building. Their daughter Aurora was hiding behind Lorna.

"Guys, time to go," Clarice said, "We're outnumbered here."

"We just need a few more minutes," Lorna said, her teeth gritted.

"Well, guess what, that's all Sage says we have," Clarice said, "Here, take the rest of them out this way, and _hurry_." She grabbed at space and pulled open another portal, this one leading to another spot in the woods far away from HQ. The amount of portals she had created in such a short span of time was getting to her, she could feel them weighing on her, but she pushed through. People ran through the portal, dashing into the quiet black night in the forest.

"We'll call you, set up a place to meet," Marcos said as he grabbed Aurora. The blue-haired little girl was shaking as Marcos met Clarice's eyes. "You and John and the kids stay safe, hear me?"

"Gotcha, sunshine," Clarice grunted, "Now get out of here."

Lorna's eyes were dangerous as she looked at Clarice. "We'll get them back for this."

"Go already, Lorna," Clarice said, "We can do the revenge thing later."

Once that group was out, another explosion rocked the HQ, and she knew that this was the one that finally broke the defenses. Clarice ran, pulling open a portal and launching herself through it, back to the hiding spot where she left the kids. She stumbled out of the portal and strong hands caught her, keeping her on her feet. The touch was familiar and welcome.

"Are you hurt? Clarice, are you okay?" John's calloused hands traveled quickly over her face, her arms, her sides, searching for injuries. She snagged his wrists and stilled him.

"I'm fine, I'm good," she said, fighting back the threatening exhaustion.

"Don't portal anymore. We'll go on foot," he said.

She didn't even wonder how he had found them so quickly. Of course he had. "I can do this, John."

He looked at her searchingly and then nodded, not arguing anymore. Which was one of the many reasons why she loved him.

Overhead, the helicopter was making sweeps of the forest, searchlights wavering from its underbelly. As it came toward them, John pressed Clarice against a tree trunk, covering her, his arms over her head. He was already wearing dark clothes, the kind he always wore when they were out making illegal supply runs, so he blended better into the forest than her and her silky pajama pants and old t-shirt. For a second, John's forehead rested against the top of her head, his breath brushing through her hair.

The helicopter passed over them, and Clarice sighed. John pulled off his coat and put it around her shoulders before he walked over to the hollow and pulled the blanket off of the kids. They both scrambled to their feet, their pjs covered in decaying leaves and dirt.

"Dad!" JD cried, but John gently shushed him. JD latched onto John's side, getting in a quick hug before he darted over to Clarice. "You okay, Mom?"

"Yeah," she said, pulling him to her.

Hope raced into John's arms, and he picked her up, cuddling her for a moment before he walked back to Clarice and JD. He tossed the ghillie blanket over his shoulder, which told Clarice he thought they might need it again. His free hand grabbed hers, and he ran his thumb over the back of her hand before letting go, giving her the chance to drag a portal into existence.

They didn't say anything as they fled through the portal, John leading the way and leaving their home behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Poor Thunderblink family…

They raced through Clarice's portals for miles, cutting through the countryside and changing their direction every time John sensed someone on their trail. JD tried to keep up, but John ended up picking him up and carrying him, too. Each portal took a little more energy out of Clarice until she stumbled out of the last portal, dropping to her knees, exhausted and trying to catch her breath.

"Clarice!" John said, keeping his voice low even though it was razor-edged with concern.

"Don't…freak out. I'm peachy," she said. She glanced up at him, her tired eyes catching the moonlight. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," he said honestly, crouching next to her and lowering JD to the ground. The eight-year-old sat beside Clarice, immediately leaning against her so she had something to support her. Hope was half-asleep against John's shoulder, so he didn't put her down. Besides, right now, he would rather just hold her.

John was extremely aware of how easily he could have lost his family that night. If he let himself dwell on it too long, on the feeling that had ripped through him when he realized the HQ was being attacked, it would cripple him. So he kept himself in the moment. He compartmentalized his fear and his current job. They had to get through this, get to somewhere safe again, and he had to protect Clarice and the kids. Then he had to contact the rest of the HQ members, figure out who made it out and who didn't. Who had gotten caught during the escape. Who was dead.

He reached out and ran his knuckles across Clarice's cheek, knowing she had pushed herself to keep him and the kids safe. She was so amazing.

"I'll be fine," she said softly as she leaned into his touch for a second.

"Mhmm."

She gave him a mirthless smile then turned to JD, pulling him to her.

"How're you holding up, small fry?" she asked, pushing his shaggy black hair out of his face.

JD nodded, but his eyes, so much like hers, were wide and frightened. "M'okay," he said, trying to sound brave, but his voice was shaking. John's jaw tightened. He wanted to punch someone, anyone, from Sentinel Services for putting that fear in his son's voice.

Looking around, John tried to get his bearings. They were on the edge of a bare field somewhere in the countryside, and there was a two-story white house in the distance. If anyone was awake in that house, they would have seen the light from Clarice's portal.

"We need to move," he said, narrowing his eyes at the farmhouse. There was a truck and car parked under a towering oak tree, and he would guess that the keys to at least one of those had been left inside them. People in the country in pretty trusting of their neighbors. As much as he hated to steal someone's vehicle, they needed to get away quick, and there was no way Clarice could portal anymore.

He held out his free hand to Clarice and pulled her to her feet. She took a step forward and he saw her wobble, her knees going weak. All of those portals had taken their toll on her, and his anxiety notched up another level. He had to get her somewhere she could rest. John instantly moved to her side and looped his arm around her waist so she could lean against him, borrowing his strength.

JD got up and hurried to his mother's other side, his hand on her arm. "Mom?"

Clarice didn't answer this time, she just reached out and gripped his shoulder for a second.

They headed for the farmhouse, making their way around the edge of the field, past a tractor and an old horse that lifted its head to stare at them. The yard in front of the house had overgrown grass and a few rusty pieces of farm equipment sitting around, but the tracks in the dirt road were fresh.

John almost stopped when he spotted the bluetick hound laying on the porch, but the old dog was fast asleep. Still, he pointed it out to Clarice and JD, knowing they would make even more of an effort to stay quiet. But if that dog woke up…

When they got to the car, Clarice slipped away from him and tried the door, but it was locked. Shit. John looked toward the farmhouse, wondering how much time they had. Would the people who lived there even notice? John hurried over to the truck and this time, the door opened. He waved JD and Clarice over as he put Hope down on the driver's seat and hunted for the keys, opening the sun visor, the console, and stretching over to the glove compartment. Finally, he found them in the cup holder, just as the old hound dog decided to wake up and do its job.

The rough bark boomed across the silent yard, making JD yelp. In the driver's seat, Hope sat up and clutched at the ripped leather as she looked around.

"Gun!" she gasped, "The house!"

John jumped into action, knowing better than to ignore his daughter. She was young, but her pre-cog dreams were powerful and almost always right. "Get in, get in," he said, hurrying his wife and son into the truck, ready to step in front of any bullets.

The lights in the farmhouse came on as John grabbed JD and put him in the truck. The eight-year-old snagged his sister and pulled her into the backseat, forcing her down. The passenger side door slammed closed as Clarice hauled herself inside, and she leaned across the console.

"John!" she yelled at him as the front door to the house banged open.

"Get away from that truck," snarled the man on the porch, a shotgun in his hands.

Too late for that. John jumped into the driver's side, shutting the door and revving the engine as the man lifted the gun. His heart pounded as he threw the truck into gear as the shotgun went off, the round taking out one of the headlights. Both kids screamed. The tires spun as he slammed his foot into the gas pedal, and then the truck was on its way, racing down the dirt road and heading for a highway, any highway that would take them far away. He swerved around potholes and practically jumped a gravel speedbump. Clarice turned around in her seat and talked to the kids, soothing them as the truck squealed onto the asphalt road at the end of the dirt road.

John's hands gripped the wheel so tightly that when he finally took one away, the indentations of his fingers were on the frame.

"Is everyone okay?" he demanded, looking at them in the mirror. "JD? Hope?"

"He shot at us," JD said.

"Yeah. Yeah, he did," John said, not sugarcoating it. That man had been protecting his property, but damn, John didn't feel very sympathetic toward him right then. "Hope, princess, was that what you dreamed?"

Hope didn't answer him. He glanced at her using the mirror and saw her burrowed in JD's arms, her head pressed against his chest and her hands over her ears. The image of his baby girl like that gouged his heart. There was a gentle touch on his arm, and he looked over to see Clarice watching him, understanding on her face. She rubbed his arm and he grabbed her hand, holding it tight, threading their fingers together.

"She's not hurt, Dad," JD said softly, "She's just scared."

"You're being a great big brother," Clarice said, turning back toward him, "You're doing so good, kiddo."

JD shook his head. "I should've done something. I got powers, too. I should've used them."

"No," John said so fast that JD flinched. He felt bad about that but still, he had to make his point clear. "JD, while we're out here, you can't use your powers unless it's a last resort. If someone sees you…" John sucked in a breath through his teeth, imagining the outcome.

"It's dangerous to use our powers around regular humans," Clarice said, taking over for him, "So we can't use them unless we have to. Remember, we've talked about this."

"It's not fair."

"I know," Clarice said, "It sucks. But we've got to be careful so we can all stay safe."

JD frowned but nodded. "Do you think Aurora and Uncle Marcos and Aunt Lorna and everyone's okay?"

"Most of them got out. I know Marcos, Lorna, and Aurora did," Clarice said, though she really had no way of knowing right now if they had gotten any farther than the woods. John fully believed that Lorna and Marcos would get away with Aurora. But not everyone would be that lucky.

"What about Zingo?" JD asked, staring. His eyes began to fill with tears. "Did we leave her behind?"

"No!" Clarice said, "Juniper is supposed to take care of her if something like this happens. And I know she did." That had always been the plan. Since Clarice and John had the kids to worry about, someone else was in charge of making sure that Zingo got out safely in the case of an event like what had happened that night. Juniper had animal control abilities, so getting Zingo to stay calm and quiet would be easy for her. Still, John knew that Clarice would be worried. He would try to contact Juniper as soon as he could, right after he got a hold of Marcos and Lorna.

"You should try to get some sleep," John said, looking at JD through the mirror. He squeezed Clarice's hand. "You, too, love."

"Yeah, I don't think that'll be happening any time soon," she said, "We're going to have to switch cars soon, anyways."

She was right. The farmer would call the police immediately. They would have to find a new car before they got very far down the road. John sighed.

"Tell me when you see something promising."

She squeezed his hand back. "We're going to be all right."

"Yeah. Yeah…"

He would make sure of that.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm sort of hungry again..."

Clarice lifted her head at the sound of JD's voice. At some point she had nodded off, her arms wrapped tight around Hope. Shoving her hair back from her face, she sat up, still keeping one arm around Hope. Orange sunset light shown through the car windows, which meant she had been asleep for at least an hour.

They had switched vehicles three times since the farmhouse, but besides changing cars, they had only stopped once for vending machine snacks and a bathroom break at a rest stop. They had gotten a couple stares at the rest stop since the kids were in pajamas during the day and so was she, though John's jacket had helped make hers a little less noticeable. She and John had done their best to shield the kids, and Clarice and JD had made sure to keep their heads down so no one got a good look at their eyes. Still, it was likely that someone would be able to ID them if they were asked. Hopefully they were far enough away from Atlanta at that point that Sentinel Services would take a long time to reach the area.

When they had stolen the Jeep they were currently using, Clarice had climbed into the backseat with Hope since the four-year-old was refusing to sleep. Clarice had bundled her up in John's jacket and hummed to her, but instead of Hope, Clarice had been the one to fall asleep.

"I'm hungry, too, bud," John said, glancing at JD via the mirror. He looked like he could use some sleep himself, which made perfect sense seeing how he had been up for at least 36 hours, probably closer to 48.

"We need to find somewhere to stop anyways," she said, "Or you need to let me drive."

"I'm good."

"Yeah, you tell me how good you are when you pass out on the steering wheel." Clarice gave him a ghost of smirk as he scowled at her in the mirror. She gave Hope's arm a little squeeze and peeked down at her baby girl. "Did you sleep at all?"

Hope nodded, but the dark shadows under her eyes, just like her dad's, told Clarice that she was lying. Sometimes Hope wouldn't sleep because she was afraid of her dreams. She often saw versions of the future whenever she was sleeping, and the future must've seemed far too frightening for her to want to sleep right now.

"Can we stop at McDonald's?" JD asked, "Or anywhere…"

"A motel would be good, too, after that," Clarice said. John had about two hundred bucks in one of his jacket pockets, an emergency fund, but that would only go so far. She pursed her lips and looked over at JD as she ran her hand over Hope's tangled hair. "Somewhere to sleep."

"We should keep driving."

"Babe..." She slid Hope off her lap and then leaned forward, putting her hand on her husband's shoulder. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "John, we have to stop. You're about to pass out, Superman, and I can't stay awake either. The kids are miserable." She kissed his cheek, quick and reassuring. "It's just for the night and we're already in North Carolina. I think it'll be okay."

John's jaw ticked, but he gave a sharp nod. His tired eyes met hers for a second, and she could see his worry, his fear, every vulnerability laid bare only for her. "We leave before dawn."

"No argument," Clarice said, squeezing his tense shoulder, "You can even pick the hotel."

The place he chose was actually a crumbling Motel 6 on the outskirts of Raleigh, North Carolina, another couple hours down the road. They had stopped at a McDonald's on the way, so now the Jeep smelled like aging French Fries, flat hamburger patties, and sugary coffee. JD was wide awake, having stolen a few sips of Clarice's coffee on top of devouring a whole double-stacked cheeseburger with a side of fries. He was humming to Hope, who was still refusing to go to sleep even though she was leaning against the door, her head cushioned by John's jacket.

While John went in and paid for their room, Clarice turned around, hands on her seat. It occurred to her that this was the first time the kids would be staying at a motel. They had never been away from home overnight before, except for JD when he had been held for a couple days by that scientist group when he was four. This was an entirely different situation, but even as that thought popped to mind, she reached back and ruffled his hair. It had been four years since then, and she still wasn't over it.

"Do you guys want something from the vending machines?" she asked, "They usually have one or two in a place like this. They might even have Snickers."

"Going home now?" Hope said, lifting her head from John's jacket and looking up at Clarice with tired brown eyes full of wishes.

Clarice gripped the seat a little tighter. "We can't...we're staying here tonight." She couldn't explain to her exhausted four-year-old that there was no home to go back to, that they would never see the old HQ again. Everything she had known was going to be different now.

Hope sighed and drooped against the jacket again, nuzzling her face into the warm leather. "Tomorrow?"

"Hope—" Clarice was saved from having to break the news by John opening the driver's side door.

"We're first floor, right over there," he said, pointing toward the next to last room. It would be easy to get out to the car if they needed to leave quickly, whether it was through a door or through a portal. For a moment, John leaned heavily against the door frame of the Jeep, his eyes trained on hers. They needed somewhere to rest, but he wasn't going to be comfortable here. No matter what, both of them were going to be on high alert until they found a safehouse or an HQ. They needed a real plan.

Clarice got out of the Jeep and opened the door for JD while John got Hope. JD climbed out and stretched, lifting his arms above his head and twisting around. He was still in his PJs, reminding Clarice that on top of everything else, they needed new clothes. And not just any clothes, they needed long sleeves and hats and a little make-up wouldn't hurt either. She and the kids would need to cover up the marks that the three of them sported, or at least try. It was going to be complicated, telling the kids they needed to hide what made them different when she and John had told them their whole lives that they shouldn't be ashamed of what made them different. She didn't want them to be ashamed, but she did want them to be safe. Hair dye wouldn't be a bad idea either, considering her own hair and Hope's.

They headed into the motel room, and JD instantly flopped down on one of the hard mattresses. The paint was peeling, there was a massive stain on the ceiling, and one of the chairs at the tiny table was broken. It was the definition of super cheap.

Clarice dropped beside JD and buried her face in a pillow for a moment, taking a deep breath. For a split second, she let herself pretend she was back home at HQ and John had gotten terrible new pillows for their bed but besides that everything was okay.

Then she opened her eyes and rolled over, letting reality sink back in. John had sat down on the other bed, his back against the flimsy headboard, Hope curled up against his chest. John's cheek was resting on the top of her head and his lips were moving, so quiet that Clarice couldn't hear what he was saying but Hope could.

JD scooched closer to Clarice, pressing his back against her side. She brushed her fingers over his arm. Poor kid. He sniffled and instantly Clarice sat up and dragged him into her arms, hugging him to her.

"I'm sorry," he said, his face buried in his hands, "I don't want to cry…"

"Hey, no, it's okay, buddy," Clarice said, "Don't you dare be sorry. Cry as much as you want." Her face grew hot and she blinked rapidly before giving up. "Hey, I'll even join you, how's that."

The bed sank to the side as John knelt on the edge. With one hand, he scooted her and JD over so he and Hope could fit, too. He kissed Clarice's cheek and looped an arm around her, drawing her closer. Hope snuggled against both of them and reached toward JD, her lip wobbling. Clarice buried her face in John's shoulder as she pulled both of their kids as close as she could. It could've been so much worse…

But it was still pretty bad.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Clarice sprawled out on the motel bed, her feet near the top and her head toward the bottom. Her side was pressed up against John, who was laying in bed the correct way. He had one hand on her leg, his thumb rubbing circles in an action that was probably just as comforting for him as it was for her.

John pressed his thumb against her leg. "You should sleep."

"So should you."

"No."

"Then don't tell _me_ to sleep."

John sighed and flopped back against the pillows, his arm stretching out and over both of her legs as he accepted momentary defeat.

Clarice could sleep later. She was busy looking at a map that John had brought back from a quick trip to the local Wal-Mart. He had used their emergency funds to buy clothes, food, and a few other essentials for the trip.

They had gotten into a minor argument about whether she and the kids would stay behind while he went to the store; John wanted them all to go, basically so he could keep an eye on everyone, while Clarice wanted the kids to get a chance to rest, especially Hope, who had finally conked out after a great deal of coaxing. Clarice had won by pointing out that someone would probably spot her or JD's eyes or the pointed ears that she and Hope sported. Plus, she could escape with them easily thanks to portals if something did happen. With extreme reluctance, John had left them behind, swearing he would be back in an hour.

It was a long hour.

While he was gone, Clarice had paced the room, ready for Sentinel Services to show up at any minute. Or what if they found John? He had the last vehicle they had stolen, maybe they were tracking that. What if Sentinel Services found John and captured him, and here she was, waiting for him to come back? What if the only reason he was captured was because she wasn't there to help him escape? Or, on the other hand, what if Sentinel Services showed up with some kind of power suppressant mutant again? What if she couldn't get the kids out and they were all taken and John came back to an empty ransacked motel room?

By the time he got back, she was a wreck from worrying. She had launched herself into his arms, and they had wound up sitting on the floor by the door for a while, his fingers buried in her hair as he held her tight.

It was only the first day. How long were they going to have to run like this?

"Where did Marcos say he and Lorna were going again?" she asked, tracing a route westward. John had managed to call a few people while he was gone before he tossed his phone. He had a new burner, one that they could only use if they absolutely had to. Which was going to make JD upset when he woke up. He wanted to call Aurora and Fern, but that was going to have to wait.

"They went south toward Corpus Christi," John said, "I think he's planning on going over the border for a while, at least until things calm down. He's got a group with him."

Clarice nodded slowly. Maybe that would be a good idea for them as well. She glanced over at the kids, lingering on the small frown JD was wearing even while he slept and the way Hope was curled into a tiny ball. Honestly, her top priority was making sure her family was safe.

"Where should we go?" She looked back at him, green eyes meeting brown.

"I think we should stick to what we've talked about," he said. They had gone over escape plans multiple times, so they already had one in place. Actually, they had a few, but there was one that they had agreed on before. "We'll go to the headquarters in Richmond, they'll be expecting us once they hear what happened. From there, we'll figure out where we can put our new headquarters." He tapped his fingers against her leg. "There're a few places…" He went quiet, trailing off as he took a deep breath.

Clarice sat up and shifted to the top of the bed where she wrapped her arms around John, pressing her cheek to his chest, hand over his heart.

She was sorry this was happening. Sorry that this had happened, sorry that years of work had been wiped out in one night. It had been their home, and they had both dedicated so much time to keeping the HQ safe and protected. And now that was over, and everyone was scattered or captured.

"I just…" He sighed and his chin dropped against her forehead, arms tightening around her.

Clarice tilted her head up to kiss his jaw. Both of them went silent, the only noise in the room coming the ancient heater in the corner that was struggling to keep the room warm.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked for at least the twentieth time that day.

"Yeah," she said, squeezing his arm, "I swear. I'd tell you if I wasn't."

"That was a lot of portals one after the other."

"Yeah, pretty badass, right?"

John made a noise that might've been a laugh and snuggled her closer. "Extremely badass. I just know it's not easy."

"It's not as hard as it used to be," she said. Over the years she had built up a lot of endurance, plus she had stretched her abilities. She could toss portals away from her, have more than one open at once, space them out over miles. But yeah, it still took a lot out of her, which was why she had been sleeping in the car. He hadn't slept in who knew how long.

Pulling out of his arms, Clarice pushed against John's side. "Scoot over."

He lifted an eyebrow at her but obliged, shifting more to the other side of the bed. Clarice gave a small nod, grabbed the edge of the blanket and tossed it over him so it made a John-Taco. "Nap time. I'll keep watch, you sleep."

John pushed the blanket down and away from his face. "I'm not tired."

"You sound just like your son, same whiny tone and everything," Clarice said, sitting back down on the bed, "You can't stay awake forever, you know." She drew her fingers through his hair, gently tugging the hair band out and fluffing the dark strands. "Even you have to sleep at some point."

His eyes darkened as he looked at her, but he didn't say anything. He didn't have to. She could see what he wasn't saying, that he didn't want to go to sleep, that maybe he thought he couldn't. Coming back to the HQ and seeing it like that, surrounded by Sentinel Services and under attack, must have really shaken him. It was everything he was afraid of, everything he had tried to prevent. And the fact that he wasn't there when it happened—

Hope was afraid of nightmares of the future. She got that honest, though John saw them when he was awake. It must have seemed like one of those nightmares coming true.

Clarice hummed a little, the tune of rock-n-roll song that he would recognize. She only knew it because it was one of the few that she actually tolerated.

"Are you really trying to lullaby me to sleep with 'Wayward Son?'" he asked, giving her a small, sad smile.

"Is it working?"

"Maybe a little."

"Good. Go to sleep, John. I'll take first watch."

John watched her for a few minutes and then reached out to take her hand, engulfing it with his. "I love you, Clarice."

Clarice squeezed his hand. "I love you, too." And she wasn't going anywhere.


	5. Chapter 5

Some of the essentials that John had picked up at Wal-mart were make-up and hair dye. He hated it, but it would be safer for the kids and Clarice if they blended in more while they were on the run. Which meant covering up the marks on their skin and dyeing Clarice and Hope’s hair.

“I like my hair,” Hope said for a fifth time. She was sitting on the bathroom counter, her sleepy eyes brightening as Clarice set out a few bottles of hair dye, a comb, and a couple towels beside her. She had slept through the night with apparently no pre-cog dreams, which was a small blessing. But Hope wasn’t too keen on this whole hair dye thing. She grabbed her own messy long purple and blue hair in both of her four-year-old fists and leaned back, away from Clarice.

“We like your hair, too,” John said, completely torn on this whole thing. He and Clarice had made it very clear that both of their kids’ physical differences didn’t make them weird or odd and that they didn’t need to be ashamed of them. And now here they were, telling them they needed to change to fit in. “It’s only for a little while, princess.”

“I’m going to do it with you,” Clarice said, her smile incredibly fake as she held up one of the bottles. She didn’t want to do this either, but she had agreed with him that it was for the best. “We’re both going to have black hair, okay? To match Dad and JD.”

“I don’t want it,” Hope said, shrinking even farther away from Clarice. She pulled her feet up onto the counter and pushed herself into a corner, looking at both of them warily. “Mine’s pretty.”

Yeah, John officially hated this. He ran his hand over his face and leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom. What was he supposed to do if she kept arguing? It wasn’t like reasoning with a four-year-old was often successful. If they had to force her to dye her hair while she kicked and sobbed, it was going to kill him. 

“It’ll be fun,” Clarice said, her smile dimming to something more genuine. “And it’ll look cool. Lorna dyes her hair black sometimes. Your Aunt Ali does too.”

“Aunt Ali always dyes her hair crazy colors,” JD mumbled. He was laying on the bed closest to the bathroom, watching the drama unfold. He didn’t have to dye his hair, but he was going to have to put on the tattoo cover-up stuff that John had grabbed. They were all going to have to use it, including John since his tattoos were pretty distinctive.

Hope ran her hands down her hair and looked at it for a long time. “It’s pretty…” she said, glancing up at them as if it was almost a question instead of a declaration this time.

“Beautiful,” John said firmly, refusing to say anything to the contrary. Her hair was such a deep purple and blue that it was almost black even without the hair dye, but there were lighter strands in it, giving the colors away. Plus, whenever the light hit it, it seemed to glow with color. Hope’s hair was extraordinary, just like her.

“It’s very pretty,” Clarice said, reaching over to put a hand on Hope’s knee, “It won’t be for long, baby. I swear.”

Hope made a face. “Don’t want to.”

“You can have candy for breakfast,” JD said, not even bothering to pick his head up off the pillow that he had dragged to the end of the bed. “There’s candy in the vending machine, right?”

Hope’s chin lifted. “M&Ms for breakfast?”

Clarice and John glanced at each other.

“As many M&Ms as you want,” John said immediately.

“We’ll get you Peanut M&Ms and regular M&Ms and any kind of M&M they have,” Clarice said, “But you have to get your hair dyed first.”

For a second, John thought that Hope wasn’t going to go for the bribe. He wasn’t big on bribing his kids, but sometimes you did what you had to do. The situation wasn’t ideal anyways. Finally, Hope nodded. “Okay…but purple blue later?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Clarice said, relaxing. John reached out and gently scratched her back, knowing this was incredibly hard on her. She had spent her younger years being told that her hair and her ears and her marks were freakish and weird, and she never wanted her kids to feel that way. She rarely, if ever, dyed her hair, and she only used the kind that would wash out at the end of the day. But the bottles he had bought were more permanent since they didn’t know how long they would be on the run. Hopefully not long.

He got booted out so Clarice and Hope could dye their hair in peace in the tiny bathroom, so he grabbed a map from the shopping bags and sat down on the bed next to JD. His eight-year-old rolled over so that his back was pressed against John’s side. Smiling a little, he rested one hand on JD, comforting his boy, while he read the map, figuring out the best route.

They would have to switch cars again and soon. So far, neither of the kids had really commented on the car switching, but he could tell that JD wanted to each time they switched. Technically, they were stealing. Which John wasn’t okay with. But John had to keep his family safe, and right now, this was the only way besides using Clarice’s portals, and there was no way she was going to port them all the way to Virginia.

After a while, when the hair dryer was going full blast in the bathroom, the flip phone on the nightstand buzzed, and he reached over to grab it. The number wasn’t available, of course, and John hesitated before he answered it.

“Hey! Why didn’t you call again? And why the hell aren’t you coming out here?”

John sighed in relief and stood up, brushing his hand over JD’s hair. The voice on the end of the line belonged to his little brother James. He had tried to call James and his wife Ali last night, but he couldn’t get a hold of them. He had left a message on both of their cells, but they hadn’t called him back last night. Apparently they had finally looked at their phones.

“Because that’s not the plan,” John said. They were all always very careful about what they said on the phones, even with burners. James and Ali were currently out in the northwest, helping a group that took people over the border to Canada. While it would be a good place to go, it was far, and he wanted to get back to Georgia as soon as he could. Their group was the main Underground point of contact in the Southeast, and they needed to get up and running again as soon as possible. Somewhere safer, though, farther away from the city. It would mean a longer trek for some of the mutants, but the location would be more secure. They had always been tempting fate with an HQ so close to Atlanta.

“Come on,” James said, “We have a place out here. You guys can stay with us.”

It was tempting, especially because Sentinel Services wouldn’t expect them to run so far. “I’ll keep it as an option.”

On the other end of the line, James made a frustrated noise. “The munchkins would like the snow.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” John glanced at JD, who was sitting up and watching the phone, obviously wanting to talk to his uncle.

“How are they doing? How’s everyone?”

“They’re a little shook up, but we’re all fine,” John said. He was pissed off and devastated, but none of them were hurt and that was something. “I’ll call if things change.” Meaning he’d call if something went wrong or once they were safe. The more they avoided the phone, the better.

“All right, just…Tell them we both said hey. And keep us updated,” James said, sounding angry. He probably wanted to go off about Sentinel Services, but it wouldn’t do any good. “Stay safe, okay?”

“Yeah, and you guys be careful.” Which was like telling a couple of fish to stay dry.

John closed the phone and glanced over at JD. “James said to tell you hey.”

JD smiled. “Are they still up north?”

“Yeah, for now.” There was always the possibility that James and Ali would leave and come join them for a while, though that definitely wasn’t necessary.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Hope stepped out, followed by Clarice.

“It’s not terrible,” Clarice said, yanking her fingers through her now pitch black hair, displeasure in every movement. She didn’t like this one bit.

John met her sad eyes and immediately stood up, heading for her. He scooped up Hope on the way and then hugged Clarice, smooshing their daughter between them. “You’re always gorgeous, Clarice.” But he was going to miss the dark purple locks as well. He rested his forehead against hers as JD slid off the bed and joined the hug.

“It’s very black,” Hope said, nuzzling against his shoulder. John turned his head and kissed her forehead.

“I like it,” JD said, “It’s like you’re a spy! Spies dye their hair all the time.”

“Really?” Hope said, looking suspicious.

“Yeah, it’s cool,” JD said, giving her a bright, winning smile. “You’re cooler than me now.”

Clarice ruffled JD’s hair affectionately. “Well, now we all have black hair.”

“I guess that makes us all cool,” JD said with a firm nod.

John half-smiled as Hope toyed with the ends of her hair. “Next time we’ll all have to go purple or blue.”

Clarice snorted, obviously imagining him with neon purple hair. “Oh, I’d love to see that.”


End file.
